


Determined Sith Inquisitor

by Jestana



Series: SWTOR fics [21]
Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-08
Updated: 2018-04-22
Packaged: 2019-04-20 06:18:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 8,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14254794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jestana/pseuds/Jestana
Summary: Ishteeli is a former slave, turned Sith. She's determined to prove that she's just as good as any so-called Pureblooded Sith.





	1. Korriban

**Author's Note:**

> The last of my half siblings 'verse stories. It never felt right to me that I didn't have someone for each class. Now I do.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ishteeli is finally an apprentice, with a minion of her own.

Ishteeli paced as she and Khem waited for the shuttle to the Fleet to arrive. She'd finished her trials and become apprentice to Lord Zash. Now she was on her way to Dromund Kaas via the Imperial Fleet. As she turned, she spotted a familiar figure approaching: a Sith Pureblood woman with a lightsaber on either hip, clad in gray and red leatheris. The Pureblood spotted Ishteeli and her yellow eyes narrowed just a little, but she didn't show any further reaction. They'd encountered each other during their trials, but hadn't attacked, simply because they weren't competing with each other. Well, that was Ishteeli's reason. Once the Sith Pureblood reached the waiting area, she clasped her hands behind her back and settled in to wait.

The blue-skinned Twi'lek who followed the Sith didn't hide her reaction, brown eyes wide with surprise. "Wait, _you're_ a Sith? Um, my Lord."

"I am Lord Zash's apprentice," Ishteeli informed her stiffly, noticing the shock collar on the back of the Twi'lek's neck.

"Oh, well, great!" The Twi'lek chirped, glancing at her master, who nodded slightly. "I'm Vette, this is Kay."

Sighing, the Sith finally spoke, her accent very much upper class. "Kejine Oestan, apprentice to Lord Baras."

"Ishteeli." She tapped her chest to indicate herself, and then pointed to Khem, who'd remained silent. "This is Khem Val, my Dashade."

" _For now, little Sith_ ," he growled, still very much put out.

Finally, the Sith looked unsettled, studying him closely. "I thought there were no Dashades left."

Ishteeli smirked, pleased to have surprised this Sith who unsettled her so much. "There are a few still out there."

"Clearly." Kejine nodded to Khem, and then subsided into silence.

Vette made a face at her master that would have earned Ishteeli a backhanded slap, but Kejine ignored the impertinence. She turned back to Ishteeli. "So, how'd you end up here?"

"I was a slave." She tugged the collar of her robe down to expose the thick scar on the back of her neck. "Then I used Force lightning on one of the other slaves to defend myself and I was sent away to be trained."

The cheerful smile faded from Vette's face at Ishteeli's story. "Lucky you."

"That depends on your definition of luck," Ishteeli snuck a glance at Kejine, finally realizing why the Sith bothered her: she couldn't sense Kejine's emotions very well, even at this close distance. "My sire owned my mother."

Both Vette and Kejine flinched and looked away. Just then, the shuttle arrived and they trooped aboard. When she'd come the Korriban, Ishteeli had been made to sit in the back. Now she could sit where she wanted and she chose the front. As she settled into her seat, she thought of the vow she'd made to herself on her way to Korriban: _I will prove **everyone** wrong who thinks former slaves can't be Sith._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Though it's not indicated here, Ish and Kay are half sisters and aware of it. It will be a long time before they acknowledge it, though.


	2. Dromund Kaas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ishteeli finds it annoying that no one believes her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of the dialogue comes from the game, but I tried to minimize that.

As she walked through the Nexus Room to meet Lord Zash, Ishteeli couldn't help overhearing a conversation between two other patrons.

"What's the galaxy coming to these days, letting aliens in here?"

"I heard that bounty hunter wasn't an alien."

"She was wearing a helmet, how could you tell?"

"Either way, she killed Lady Dak-Ah. Right in front of everyone! Took forever to clean up the mess _that_ made."

"Now I know you're exaggerating. They were open again long enough for that Zabrak to come in and beat the Mindak girl."

"You're the one exaggerating now. He hit her _once_. No one's clear as to _why_ he was after her in the first place."

"Obenth said he was asking about her father. Claimed he was Imperial Intelligence."

"That can't be right. Since when did they employ aliens?"

"They'd make the best spies, right? No one would expect the Empire to use aliens as spies."

At that moment, Ishteeli reached the table where Lord Zash sat with two other Sith Lords. The older woman commented to the man, "Well, when I heard she'd taken up with a Mandalorian, I was scandalized, just scandalized!"

"A Mandalorian!" The man sounded just as scandalized as the woman. It made Ishteeli want to claw their eyes out. "Does nobody value Sith blood these days?"

"I know, I know." The woman nodded, looking at Zash. "Don't you think so, Zash?"

At that moment, Zash noticed Ishteeli and excused herself from the other two and got up to speak to her. "Thank the Emperor you've arrived. It doesn't matter how much one drinks--these parties are just dull dull dull dull dull." She looked at Ishteeli expectantly. "I hope you've come to cheer me up."

Standing as tall as she could, Ishteeli reported, "I have done as you wished, and killed the Darth." Even now, she relished that moment when his Force signature disappeared completely.

Before Zash could do more than praise Ishteeli for her work, her holocomm chimed and she pulled it out to answer it. A holoimage of an older man in Sith robes winked into view above the device. It soon became clear that he was Zash's superior and assumed that she'd been the one to kill Skotia. _First Skotia himself blames Zash and now this Thanaton. **I** killed him, not Zash!_

She kept her anger hidden, though. It wouldn't do to show any resentment towards her master just yet. After all, if Zash hadn't been looking for an apprentice, Ishteeli would still be on Ziost, training with the other hopefuls. _Her time will come soon enough._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, the conversations Ish overheard references Fyeria and Urbal. I couldn't resist when I realized that the Inquisitor, Agent, and Bounty Hunter all visited the lounge during their stay on Dromund Kaas.


	3. Balmorra

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being an alien on an Imperial world comes with certain difficulties.

Ishteeli stopped in the cantina once she'd retrieved the artifact from the vault behind the Balmorran Arms Factory. The most difficult part of the mess hadn't been fighting her way through the factory. No, she'd _relished_ that part of her work, as had Khem Val. The biggest difficulty had been the number of people who assumed she was there as someone's plaything. "You there! Rat tail!"

_Such as now._ Ishteeli stifled a sigh and continued to drink, ignoring the drunk soldier now standing by her stool.

He swayed forward, breathing fumes into her face. "I'm talkin' to you, rat tail."

"Back off, idiot," she snapped at him, giving him a shove with the Force for good measure.

He stumbled and caught himself against the bar. "Hey! Rude!"

That's when he made his fatal mistake: he grabbed one of her lekku. The moment his hand closed around the soft flesh, she spun on the stool and grabbed his wrist in a punishing grip. "I _told_ you to back off."

She squeezed his wrist even tighter, making him cry out with pain. "You'll pay for this, rat tail!"

"No, I won't." She held her free hand up in front of his face and let Force lightning dance around her fingertips. "You picked the wrong 'rat tail' to harass."

His eyes widened almost comically as realization set in. "Please don't kill me, my Lord. I didn't mean--"

"I know _exactly_ what you meant." She practically snarled the words. "You need a lesson not to make assumptions based on appearances."

With that, she drew her lightsaber and sliced off his hand at the wrist. He screamed with pain and clutched at the stump of his arm. Khem arrived at her side then, snarling, _"What happened?"_

"Nothing I couldn't handle," Ishteeli assured him, using the Force to crush the soldier's hand, making it splatter blood all over herself, Khem, and the soldier. She then flipped a credstick to the bartender. "Sorry about the mess."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since Ish is Twi'lek, I figured there would people who'd make certain... assumptions about her and she would not be kind about correcting those assumptions.


	4. Nar Shaddaa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ish confronts Paladius.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I initially wrote this for another inquistor, but I never wrote more than this for them. When I began writing Ish's story, I realized this scene fit Ish much better, so I did some editing and here we are.

"Since you're so determined--" Paladius drew his lightsaber and ignited it with a snap-hiss "--let's settle this with lightsabers."

Both Ishteeli and Khem Val drew their weapons in response. She snapped a command at him in his language: _"Back off."_

"You are brave to take all three of us on without your pet's help," Paladius taunted, nodding at his two bodyguards.

She leapt lightly into the air and her lightsaber cleaved through one while she kicked the other in his face. Even as she landed, she spun on her heel and stabbed the other through the chest. Without missing a beat, she brought her lightsaber around to block Paladius' first strike. "A true Sith can defend herself even without the Force."

"You are not a true Sith," he sneered, drawing his lightsaber back in order to make several attacks in succession.

Ishteeli blocked or parried each one, seemingly without any effort at all. "Why, because I was once a slave? Don't you remember the last line of the Sith Code? The Force shall free me. That's exactly what it did for me."

Paladius attacked again, sweating profusely and gasping for breath. Again, Ishteeli blocked or parried his blows. This time, she tagged him each time, marking him with minor burns and scratches. "You were a slave and that's all you'll ever be, no matter how much you train, how much power you gain."

"That's not your call to make," she retorted, narrowing her green eyes. "But, since you're so concerned about bloodlines, I can tell you with certainty that my sire is Lord Oestan, patriarch of the Oestan family of Dromund Kaas. They can't acknowledge the relationship, of course, but it's there all the same."

She went on the offensive then, every blow and strike of her blade leaving more burned flesh and charred cloth in its wake. It was all he could do to keep the blows from being fatal. "Don't be stupid. A Lord of the Sith, especially the head of a noble house, would _never_ deign to sully himself with a mere slave."

"I highly doubt he was the first and neither will he be the last." She twisted her wrist and sliced off his hand, just as she had with the soldier on Balmorra. He screamed as he clutched at the stump. She pointed her lightsaber at his neck, eyes narrowed. "All that concerns you is the fact that I'm going to kill you now."

He held up his remaining hand in supplication. "W-wait! Let me help you!"

"No." With that, she sliced his head from his shoulders. "You're too weak and cowardly to be shown any mercy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The dialogue at this point always felt rather bland and insipid. I know it needs to fit a variety of situations, but the Inquisitor is supposed to be a former slave. USE that.


	5. Post Tatooine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Andronikos

Andronikos heard the Sith and her monster return from their errand on Tatooine and left the cockpit to greet them. His greeting died on his lips because the Sith had removed her shirt, her back to Andronikos as she spoke the monster. The rich red skin of her back was covered with old scars. From his years as a soldier and a pirate, he recognized some of them as electrical burns. Others must have come from a whip. The monster noticed Andronikos and said something to the Sith. She spun to face him, green eyes narrowed, "What do you want, pirate?"

"Just wanted to check in with you and your friend, see if you're done on this rock," Andronikos explained, choosing not to comment on the numerous scars marking her skin. "If you are, I'll get us up into space."

"Yes, we're done." Ishteeli nodded briefly, and then gestured to the monster. "This is Khem Val, by the way. He's a Dashade."

Andronikos nodded to Khem Val. "Hi. With your permission, my Lord, I'll take us up."

Another nod. "Go ahead. I'm going to change into robes that don't have so much sand in them."

"Heh, I know what you mean." He smiled, and then retreated into the cockpit to launch the ship. It wasn't as smooth as when he piloted the _Sky Princess_ , but he wasn't as familiar with the controls of this ship. Yet.

When he returned to the main area, he found Ishteeli in a different set of robes standing at the holoterminal with Khem Val. "I'm about to report in, if you wanted to meet my master."

"Sure, why not?" Andronikos moved to stand on her other side, wondering if he imagined her slight shudder when she said 'master'.

He recognized Zash right away, remembering her from his month as an Imperial prisoner. Naturally, she was quite pleased he'd helped her apprentice find the artifact. After her holoimage winked out of view, he turned to the Sith. "Now what?"

"We set course for Alderaan, of course." Ishteeli turned to walk to the cockpit. Only Andronikos and Khem Val's quick reflexes kept her from falling into a heap on the deck. "Dammit."

Once she was steady, they released their hold on her. "Perhaps you should get some rest. I can set course on my own."

"I hate the heat." Ishteeli wiped a hand across her forehead. "Fine, set course for Alderaan. Wake me up when we're almost there if I'm not awake yet."

Andronikos nodded. "Yes, my Lord."

She disappeared into her quarters and he returned to the cockpit. He was most comfortable there anyway. _Never met a Twi'lek Sith before. Ain't the galaxy full of surprises?_


	6. Alderaan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ish and Andronikos getting to know each other.

"May I ask a question?" Andronikos asked as they walked to the taxi droid in front of Thul Palace.

Ishteeli glanced at him over her shoulder with a wry smile. "You just did, but you can ask another one.

"Ha. Ha." He rubbed the back of his neck and climbed into the taxi with her. "Back in the palace, with the other Sith... he seemed to bother you. Now, you're Sith and he's Sith, so I probably shouldn't make this offer, but--"

She held up her hand to stop him before he could finish speaking. "I appreciate the offer, Andronikos, but it's not necessary."

"Right. Okay." They fell silent for several moments. Out of the corner of his eye, Andronikos could see Ishteeli's hands, folded together in her lap. Both thumbs were restless, gliding over and around each other. Keeping most of his focus on the scenery going by, he asked, "Wanna talk about it?"

After another few moments of silence, she sighed heavily. "Most Sith treat me with contempt or disgust because I'm an alien and a former slave. There've been two exceptions: an apprentice to another lord who didn't seem to care one way or the other that I was an 'alien', and Zash."

The way she said Zash's name caught Andronikos's attention. He waited until they'd climbed out of the taxi and started for House Alde to comment. "Is there something wrong with the way Zash treats you?"

"Not... exactly." Ishteeli caught her lower lip between her teeth for a moment. Then she scowled and released it. "She's been very effusive with her praise. Keeps telling me how wonderful, how marvelous I am."

Andronikos frowned, watching the wildlife carefully as they crunched through the snow. "You think she's talkin' you up?"

"I--" she hesitated, and then nodded. "Yeah, that's it. It feels like she's overdoing it in terms of praise and it just makes me wonder when she's going to stab me in the back."

He stopped and stared at her, a shiver going through him. She took a few steps, and then turned to look at him curiously. "You really think she'll go that far?"

"She's Sith. It's practically part of our Code." Ishteeli tugged at the ends of her lekku. She usually kept them draped down her front unless they were fighting.

Andronikos nodded and joined her once more. "So, what about that Moren Sith bothered you?"

"When he looked at me, I sensed... admiration and interest. I'm not sure what to do about it." They continued on their way, the snow giving way to grass as they moved down into the valley.

"That depends. Do you _want_ to do anything about it? Or ignore it?" Andronikos was surprised at first, but given the hints she'd dropped about her past, he really shouldn't be.

Ishteeli shrugged. "I'm not used to having a choice."

"Now you do." He wanted to take her hand or pat her shoulder, but he knew better.

She nodded, a smile slowly spreading across her face. "Yes. Yes, I do."

*

"What'd you think of Alderaan?" Andronikos asked once Ishteeli finished making her report to Zash after they'd retrieved the artifact.

She remained silent, her hands clasped behind her back. Finally, she looked at him. "All in all, it wasn't too bad. The power plays aren't too different from what the Sith do, in all honesty."

"Yeah, it's a bit like that on a pirate ship," Andronikos chuckled, straightening up. "Did you have fun with that other Sith?"

Ishteeli nodded. That's when Andronikos realized she'd let her lekku hang down her back instead of pulling them over her shoulders. "I did. I would have liked another round with him before we left, but the Jedi had other plans."

"Pity about that." Andronikos didn't really care one way or the other, but part of him had been pleased when she'd decided to bed the other Sith. She deserved to have some fun. He blinked and raised his eyebrows when he realized she'd moved to stand in front of him. "My lord?"

She mirrored his expression, though she didn't have eyebrows. "Do you find me attractive?"

"I do, but I won't try anything if that's what you're worried about." He winked. "I like all my parts where they are."

A soft laugh escaped Ishteeli, the first he'd heard from her. She reached up and touched the scars next to her mouth. "My scars don't bother you?"

"Nah, I got my share of 'em." Andronikos waved a hand dismissively. "Besides, scars could never be ugly to me."

Ishteeli tilted her head slightly, one of her lekku moving around her shoulder so she could fidget with the end. "What do you mean?"

"Scars show you're a fighter, a survivor," he explained, hoping she'd understand the way he saw things. "You're strong because the galaxy has thrown who-knows-what crap at you, and you're still standing. That's what I see when I see scars."

She turned and indicated the thick, heavy scar on the back of her neck. "Even this one?"

" _Especially_ that one." He balled his hands into fists at the sight. "I know life for slaves is rarely pleasant. I'm glad you managed to escape it."

Ishteeli turned back to him. "I wanted to help my mother escape, but she was gone the last time I went back."

"Gone? As in dead?"

"Just gone. No one could tell me what happened to her."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The freedom to choose has become pretty important to me over the last few years, especially after writing Jedi Besties with my sister and the wreck that is KotFE/KotET. It just seemed natural to address it here with Ish because if there's a class who deserves to be able to choose besides the Jedi Knight, it's the Sith Inquisitor.


	7. Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andronikos holds Ish because she needs it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SPOILERS for the Sith Inquisitor quest at the end of chapter one.

"Did you see this coming?" Andronikos's question disturbed Ishteeli just as she was drifting off to sleep. The two of them were curled up together in her bed on the ship.

Ishteeli sighed, pressing closer against his side. He deserved an answer. "Yes and no. I told you it's practically in the Sith Code that we'll betray each other. I didn't expect Zash to do it quite this soon."

"I get it." He pressed a kiss to her forehead and she closed her eyes for a moment. The last person to do that had been her mother, just before she left to be trained as a Sith. The tension in her muscles slowly eased. "Least we can keep an eye on her now."

She gave a soft, humorless laugh, reminded of Zash and Khem Val's situation. "I doubt Khem sees it that way."

"He's the one who interfered, though I'm glad he did." He tightened his arms around her briefly. She was grateful that he'd kept it brief. It would have brought back memories if he hadn't. "If you weren't around, I wouldn't get to fly around the galaxy in this lovely ship."

Ishteeli's voice was as dry as Tatooine, hiding her amusement at how he chose to express his sentimental side. "I'm touched by how much you care for me. Really, it's too much."

"If you want sweet words and flowers, you picked the wrong guy," Andronikos told her, a smile in his voice as she pressed even closer to his solid warmth, one arm sliding across his waist and one of her legs slipping between his. His interest was more than apparent, but he made no move to act on it.

She tucked her head under his chin, breathing in his scent. "Sweet words and perishable gifts are nothing. You helped me on Tatooine and Alderaan. Would have stood with me against Zash. That's better than anything else you could have given me."

"Damn straight." He kissed the top of her head, just in front of where her lekku connected to her skull. "Sleep now. I got you."

Sighing deeply, she slowly relaxed, confident he wouldn't try anything while they slept. "Nigh'."

"Good night." She barely heard his reply before she finally drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, they did not have sex. This is about comfort.


	8. Taris

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Ashara Zavros

After gathering the few items she'd brought to Taris with her, Ashara reluctantly followed the Sith Lord and her pirate companion (Ishteeli and Andronikos) through the Imperial base to the shuttle. She was still in a bit of shock over how quickly her life had changed since the Twi'lek Sith had contacted her. On the shuttle, she sat down opposite Ishteeli and Andronikos. Ashara watched through the viewport next to her as the shuttle lifted off and rose up through the atmosphere. Once the polluted atmosphere had given way to space, she turned her attention back to her traveling companions.

Ishteeli had pulled out a datapad, green eyes intent as she studied its contents and her forehead creased in a slight frown. Andronikos stared out the viewport next to him. What drew Ashara's attention was the fact that one of Ishteeli's lekku had wrapped around Andronikos's upper arm, the very tip twitching idly like a nexu's tail. Ashara looked down, studying her own lekku. They weren't prehensile like a Twi'lek's and would grow as she herself matured.

Before she could ponder how much longer she had to live, a soft huff of laughter drew her attention back to Ishteeli. The faintest of smiles curved her lips as Andronikos said, "You actually laughed. What's so funny?"

"Looks like Lord Anathemos found out we killed his assassins," Ishteeli murmured, a note of quiet glee in her voice as she held the datapad so Andronikos could read it.

She didn't flinch when he leaned close enough to read it, his scalp surely brushing against her lekku. He chuckled once he'd read whatever she'd showed him. "Think he'll try to get you back?"

"He's welcome to _try_." She smirked, lightning dancing briefly around her free hand. It faded as she tucked the datapad away.

"You arranged that ambush, didn't you?" Ashara asked quietly, having been putting pieces together as she followed the other two.

"I did, yes." Ishteeli nodded, glancing down at the lekku wrapped around Andronikos's arm with a faint hint of surprise. He followed her glance and a smile quirked at the corner of his mouth. He made no move to remove Ishteeli's lekku, letting her do that herself. "I needed you to draw out the ghost and I couldn't think of any other way to get you to talk to me."

Ashara folded her arms across her chest, careful not to put too much pressure on her lekku. "Those Sith didn't agree to fight us, though."

"Nope, I didn't plan to let them live, but I didn't tell _them_ that." She smirked, standing up once the shuttle had landed on the station. "Their surprise was delicious."

Ashara pressed her lips together to stifle her instinctive response. _She holds my life in her hands. I can't afford to piss her off._

"Ashara." She looked up when Ishteeli said her name. The Sith hadn't moved. "I won't harm you. If those assassins couldn't take the three of us on, they deserved to die. You, however, show great strength in the Force and great potential. I have no intention of wasting it by killing you."

Andronikos peered around Ishteeli, a smile quirking at the corners of his mouth. "What she means is you're welcome to speak your mind around her."

"Thank you, my Lord, Andronikos." Ashara nodded and stood up to follow them off the shuttle. _For now, I'm stuck with her. Maybe I can teach her to moderate her bloodlust._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I read somewhere that a Twi'lek's lekku are prehensile. I thought it'd be interesting to play with that idea a bit.


	9. Quesh

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ish and Andronikos talk. And decide to get frisky.

"Everything all right, my Lord?" Andronikos asked as they sat on the bench outside the cubicles where they'd showered, waiting for their disinfected gear to be returned to them.

Startled, Ishteeli sat up straight and tucked her hands under her thighs. "Everything's fine. I don't know why you're asking."

"You don't have to pretend with me," he told her gently, feeling one of her lekku brush against his arm. "Is something on your mind?"

After a moment, she sighed, rubbing at the back of her neck. "I hate being hunted like this. It reminds me of... things I'd rather forget."

"Soon as we get back to the ship, we can decide what to do next," Andronikos assured her, catching her free hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.

Ishteeli managed a small smile for him. "Thanks, Andronikos."

"There's something I've been wondering," he began, only to stop when a private arrived with their gear.

After changing and setting off for their ship, she nudged him with her elbow. "You said there's something that's been on your mind?"

"Yeah, um." Andronikos cleared his throat. "I noticed your, um, lekku have been rather touchy-feely with me. Should I be worried?"

Making a soft, frustrated sound, she tugged her lekku over her shoulders once again as they stepped onto the lift to the hangar with their ship. "It's-- I-- Kriffing hell."

"Ish?" Using her nickname was a risk, but he had his suspicions about why her lekku had been behaving strangely. "Is there something you haven't told me?"

Ishteeli buried her face in her hands for a moment before looking up at him. "Sometimes, when Twi'leks are attracted to someone, their lekku tends to become 'touchy-feely' with that person when they're close enough."

"I have no objections if the rest of you wants to get 'touchy-feely' with me," Andronikos told her with a grin, pleased that he'd been right.

He had more of a speech prepared, but Ishteeli chose that moment to kiss him and he was too busy kissing her back to say anything. When they parted to catch their breath, she pressed her forehead against his. "As soon as we're on our way to wherever we're going next, join me in my quarters and we'll get touchy-feely with each other. Sound good?"

"Sounds good." He kissed her, swift and hungry, before they continued to their ship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just thought it'd be cute if this happened. Now I'm picturing what would happen if they were both Twi'leks.


	10. Hoth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Lieutenant Talos Drellik, formerly of the Imperial Reclamation Service.

Andronikos grumbled as they emerged from the base onto the planet's snowy surface. "Nothing but snow for kilometers either way, and I already can't feel my toes. Whose idea was this to come here again?"

"Yours, lunk-head," Ishteeli retorted with a faint smile, rubbing her gloved hands together for a moment before heading to the taxi droid.

Making a face, Andronikos followed along behind her, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jacket. "I kind of hoped someone else would mention another ghost."

She gave a soft huff of laughter that clouded in front of her face. "You shouldn't've said anything in the first place, then."

"I know." He hunched his shoulders up towards his ears. "Let's-- hey!"

Ishteeli laughed as he looked from the snow on his left shoulder to her bright, smiling face. He bent and scooped up a handful of snow, shaping it into a ball. Her eyes widened as he drew his arm back. "No!"

"You started it," he reminded her before throwing his snowball.

She instinctively put up her hands so the snow smacked into her palms. A few clumps hit her robes, but most of the snow fell to the ground at her feet. Ishteeli grinned triumphantly at Andronikos. "Ha!"

"No fair using the Force." He gave up on snowballs and charged towards her.

Just as he launched into a flying tackle, he found himself hanging in midair, unable to move. Still grinning, she stepped up in front of him. "I didn't use the Force before, but now I am."

"So you admit to cheating?" He raised his eyebrows, more amused than upset by his predicament.

Ishteeli laughed softly and brushed a teasing kiss across his lips. "That's not cheating. _This_ is."

"What?" She snapped her fingers and that was the only warning Andronikos had before he fell face-first into the snow. He slowly pushed himself into a sitting position, brushing at the snow that covered his face. "You made your point."

"Truce?" Ishteeli offered her hand to help him to his feet.

Grinning, Andronikos took her hand and tugged just hard enough so she lost her balance and landed in his lap. Once she registered what he'd done, she smiled and cupped his face between her hands. His arms wound around her waist as he told her, "Truce."

They kissed for only a few moments before the cold became too much. Reluctantly, they got to their feet and continued towards the taxi droid. Ishteeli squeezed Andronikos's hand. "To be continued when we're not in danger of freezing to death."

"I'll hold you to that," he warned her.

"I'd expect nothing less."

*

"I wanted to thank you again, my Lord," Talos greeted Ishteeli when she stopped by the cargo bay where he was storing his equipment.

She tilted her head slightly, her lekku shifting with the movement. "For what, Lieutenant?"

"I'm not in the Reclamation Service any more, my Lord," he reminded her, feeling a pang in his chest at the thought.

Smiling, Ishteeli shook her head slightly. "You still served faithfully. That deserves some sort of acknowledgement."

"You're too kind." Talos bowed, touched that she would insist.

Making a soft sound of amusement, she asked, "What were you thanking me for?"

"For taking me on." He smiled as he returned to his work. It faded as he remembered the tomb on Hoth. "And for letting me take pictures of the tomb before you destroyed the relics."

Ishteeli nodded, wincing a little. "Do let me know when those images are ready to be viewed. I didn't really take in any details."

"If you wish it, I certainly shall, my Lord." Talos nodded, pleased that she shared his interest in history and archaeology.

Andronikos, her pirate friend, poked his head in the door, entering fully when he spotted the two of them. "Ish, you need food and sleep."

"Yeah, yeah." She sighed and nodded before turning back to Talos. "For the record, you're on your own when it comes to meals. None of us are very good cooks."

He gave her a reassuring smile. "I can manage, my Lord." He took a chance and made shooing motions. "For now, you should take care of yourself."

"Who's in charge here?" A smile twitching at her mouth assured him that she wasn't truly offended.

Andronikos had moved closer and now caught her hand with his. "When it comes to your health, the two of us. Come on."

She turned and kissed his cheek, her smile fond. Turning back to Talos, she told him, "Don't forget to eat and sleep as well, Lieutenant."

"I will, my Lord." Talos bowed and straightened up once she and Andronikos were gone. _I made the right decision to resign from the Service, but I'll miss it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why can't we romance Talos? He's adorable!
> 
> That out of the way, I wanted to show Ish having a little fun before reality (so to speak) crashes in.


	11. Tired and Sore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That wasn't the outcome they expected.

"How are you feeling?" Andronikos sounded worried as he lightly trailed his fingers along Ishteeli's cheek.

She smiled and covered his hand with hers, holding it against her cheek. "Sore and exhausted, but not the fun kind."

"You sure going to Belsavis is the best idea?" he asked, the worry not leaving his face.

Ishteeli shook her head, wincing when it put pressure on her lekku. Without a word, he gently freed them and draped them over her chest. His touch sent shivers of pleasure through her, but she didn't have the energy to follow through. "The _best_ idea? No. It's my only chance, though."

"I know. I swear my heart stopped beating when your power started going haywire." Andronikos stretched out beside her on the bed, helping her shift to lay on his shoulder. "For what it's worth, you knocked Thanaton on his ass at least."

She didn't even try to stifle her growl of frustration. "I should have _killed_ him. I _would_ have if not for the ghosts."

_"You brought this on yourself,"_ Horak-Mul snarled, appearing at the foot of the bed.

Kalatosh had a smirk on his face when he appeared in the corner. _"Just like a Sith to grasp for more power than you can handle."_

_"Treacherous snake, should have let me kill you,"_ Andru added, scowling under his hood from his new perch on the cupboard in the corner, crouching like a dangerous predator ready to strike.

Ergast, a smug smile in place, added his opinion from the doorway. _"I did warn you of the danger of binding too many ghosts."_

"Ish?" Andronikos's concerned voice drew her focus back to him. "You still with me?"

She buried her face in his neck, sensing the ghosts' disappearance. "They keep scolding me."

"As if they wouldn't've done the same damn thing in your shoes," he muttered, kissing her forehead. "Can I help?"

Ishteeli stayed pressed against him, comforted by his steady presence. "Just keep holding me and talking to me."

"Gladly."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We see the ghosts appearing to speak to the SI in-game, so I thought I'd try to emulate that.


	12. Post Belsavis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Mother Machine worked!

Once Andronikos launched them into hyperspace, sending them towards Nar Shaddaa, he sat back in his chair and looked at Ishteeli. "You certainly look better, Ish."

"I _feel_ better," she replied, leaning back in her chair as well.

The move pulled her robes snug against her body for a moment, revealing the curves she usually hid from the galaxy. "I didn't want to say anything, but you looked like you were getting worn around the edges since that second fight with Thanaton."

"Thank you for your consideration." Though her voice was dry, her eyes glinted with mischief.

Andronikos chuckled, stretching his arms up above his head until his spine popped. "That's me, Mr. Considerate."

"Funny, I thought your name was Revel." Ishteeli sounded thoughtful now and he tilted his head back so he could look at her around his arm.

When she caught him looking at her, she kept a straight face for a few moments before her lips curved into a smirk. "Ha. Ha." He reluctantly stood up from the chair. The ship would be fine without someone in the pilot's seat for a few hours. "So, is there anything you were planning to do with your time until we get to Nar Shaddaa?"

"Well, there _are_ some books I've been meaning to read." She stood up as well, purposely standing in his way. "Unless _you_ had some ideas yourself."

He grinned, leaning in to kiss the tip of her nose. "Well, as it happens, I _did_ have an idea or two. Not sure if you're interested, though."

"I _might_ be persuaded." She reached up and traced the tattoo around his left eye. " _If_ you explain them to me the right way."

"Well, I've never been very good with words." He tilted his head into her touch. "Maybe if I showed you?"

She tilted her head slightly, one of her lekku curling around his arm. "All right. If I don't like what you show me, I'll let you know."

"I'm sure you will." Grinning, he leaned in and kissed her, slow and deep and warm. All the emotions he felt for her that he couldn't or wouldn't name he poured into the kiss.

By the time he released her, he'd wrapped his arms around Ishteeli and she was clutching at his shirt with her hands. Her lekku had wound themselves around his arms. She looked up at him with dazed eyes for several moments. Then she blinked and told him, her voice thick with desire. "My quarters. Now."

"My lord, it would be an honor."

"Smartass. Move!"


	13. Voss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ish runs into a somewhat-familiar face.

"Are you feeling alright, Ish?" Andronikos asked as they entered the Shrine of Healing. He'd noticed that she'd been keeping her head very still.

She nodded, and then winced. "My lekku hurt. Dreamwalking wasn't fun."

"I'll say." He pressed his fingertips to his temples. "Bad enough just here. It must be worse with lekku." He thought of Ashara, who'd been allowed to come down and explore the planet while they were busy. "Or montrals."

As they walked through the shrine, they came up behind a mercenary in black and red durasteel armor with a Devaronian beside her. She wore no helmet, her dark red hair pulled back into a ponytail. As they walked, the Devaronian remarked, "Not the most welcoming shrine I've ever seen. Then again, it sounds like they take a lot of pains to keep just anybody from wandering in."

"I'm pretty sure the Gormak have something to do with that, too," the mercenary responded dryly, turning slightly to address her friend. She noticed Ishteeli and Andronikos and scowled. "What are you staring at?"

Realizing she was focused on Ishteeli, Andronikos looked at her, too, and wondered at the expression on her face. She shook herself and gave the mercenary an arch look. "Can't a dark lord of the Sith look wherever they choose?"

"You? A Sith?" Her hands balled into fists at her sides as her scowl darkened. "That's just fragging fantastic."

She turned on her heel and stormed off. Ishteeli called out to her, "Wait! Are you related to Kejine Oestan, by any chance?"

"If you know what's good for you, Sith or not, you'll leave me alone." The mercenary turned a corner the next moment, disappearing from view.

The Devaronian gave them a shrug and a smile. "She always has been tetchy." He bowed to Ishteeli and whispered, "The answer to your question, by the way, is yes."

"Gault!" The shout echoed from around the corner.

The Devaronian, apparently named Gault, nodded and headed off to join the mercenary.

"Why did you ask, Ish?" Andronikos wondered as they followed suit. When they reached the corner, neither the mercenary nor Gault was in sight. "And who's this Kejine?"

After studying the map to figure out where they needed to go, Ishteeli told him, "I asked because Kejine Oestan is the daughter of one of the most prominent and powerful pureblood families in the Empire. They have holdings throughout the galaxy. Including Hutta."

"Hutta?" Andronikos repeated, surprised. He looked at Ishteeli and her face was carefully blank. It'd been months since she'd hid her emotions from him like that. "You said once you-- aw, shit. The Oestan family owned you, didn't they?"

Ishteeli gave a short nod. "The head of the family is my sire. Which makes Kejine my half-sister, as well as the merc we just talked to."

"Apparently non-Force-sensitive purebloods aren't as rare as Kallis told us," he remarked as they climbed the stairs up to the level they needed.

"Apparently not."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd been debating about having Ish run into Fyeria at all. Then Kallis explained that non-Force-sensitive Purebloods are rare and Fyeria piped up: "Non-Force-sensitive Purebloods that aren't made to disappear are rare."
> 
> Also, when I did Voss on Ish, someone playing a bounty hunter reached the Shrine at the same time as me and I was like 'okay, I'm sold on the idea.'


	14. Corellia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaggath! Fight!

Admittedly, Xalek didn't know his new master very well. He'd only seen her twice during his trials: once when he and his fellow acolytes arrived on Korriban and once when there were three of them left. Now, he stood off to the side with her other apprentice, Ashara, while she spoke to a Sith on the holo, and then Moff Pyron. From where he stood, Xalek could see the ends of her headtails twitching. Once the holoimage winked out, she stood still, her hands clenched at her sides, Force lightning sparking around them. The bald, dark-skinned man took a few steps towards her, "My lord?"

She shook her head once and he stopped. She turned towards Xalek and Ashara. "You two, with me. We're going to spar until we get to Corellia."

Xalek bowed and followed the two women to what looked like a cargo bay. Ishteeli drew her lightsaber and turned to face them. Ashara drew both of hers as well and glanced at Xalek. "Both of us at once, Master?"

"Together, separate, do your best to get past my defenses," Ishteeli ignited her lightsaber with a familiar snap-hiss.

Xalek glanced at Ashara, and then leapt at Ishteeli without a word, igniting his lightsaber mid-way. She blocked his first strike with her lightsaber, and brought one hand up to shoot Force lightning at him. Most of it he managed to catch with the other side of his lightsaber. One tendril managed to sneak past his defenses and hit his side.

He staggered back and Ashara took her turn, dual lightsabers clashing against Ishteeli's in flashes of blue and red. After a few moments, Xalek joined Ashara, attempting to take advantage of Ishteeli's distraction. However, her lightsaber was almost a blur as she blocked their attacks. Finally, Ashara leapt straight up into the air and kicked Ishteeli's shoulder, knocking her back several steps. Even as she tried to catch her balance, she hit Ashara with a blast of Force lightning. This surprised Ashara and she fell to her knees when she landed on the deck.

Xalek tried to take advantage of Ishteeli's distraction once again, but she brought her lightsaber around and twisted her wrist, too quick for him to follow. This knocked his lightsaber out of his hand and she blasted him back again. 

A knock on the door frame distracted them. The dark-skinned man stood there. "My lord, we're almost to Corellia. Might want to leave off beating up your apprentices."

"Thanks, Andronikos." Ishteeli turned off her lightsaber. "Good job, you two. You're going dirtside with me, Xalek. Ashara, you, Andronikos, Talos, and Khem can help out as you like with the Imperial efforts."

"Yes, my lord." Ashara leaned back against the bulkhead once she'd clipped her lightsabers to her belt, breathing hard.

"My lord," Andronikos hesitated, scrubbing at his scalp with his fingertips.

She stepped close to him, resting a hand on his chest. "I need someone I trust looking after my other interests here and that's you."

He nodded reluctantly. "Fine. Stay alive. I've gotten used to flying this beauty of a ship."

"Smartass." Her tone was fond and she stretched up slightly to kiss him, light and swift. "Goes both ways, you know."

"I know." He lightly traced the black markings on her cheeks. "See you soon."

With that, he turned and left. Ishteeli stood there for a moment before turning to them. "Make sure you're ready when we land, Xalek."

"Yes, lord." Xalek bowed and followed her from the cargo bay.

*

Andronikos didn't know the Force inside out the way Sith or Jedi did, but he could tell that Thanaton was losing to Ishteeli. That was probably why he decided to run away to Korriban even though it meant forfeiting the Kaggath. She paced in the cockpit of the ship while Andronikos performed the pre-flight checks and prepared to take off. "I will not be denied my kill."

"Of course not, my lord," Andronikos assured her as he guided their ship up into space and began calculating their jump to hyperspace. "You'll get him."

"I should have known he'd go crying to the Dark Council," she muttered, clenching her hands into fists at her sides. "He's too enamored with Sith tradition to accept change and progress."

His calculations finished, Andronikos pulled the lever to launch them into hyperspace and on their way to Korriban. "That's why you'll kill him when we get to Korriban."

"Damn straight I will," Ishteeli paused in her pacing when he stood up. "Are we on our way?"

"Yes, we are." Andronikos nodded, giving her a feral smile. "It occurred to me that we've come full circle."

She blinked and stared at him with some confusion. "Full circle? What do you mean?"

"When we met on Tatooine, you helped me get revenge on Wilkes," he explained, slipping his arms around Ishteeli's waist.

A sly smile appeared as she wrapped her arms around his waist in return. "That's right, and now you're helping me get revenge on Thanaton. Full circle." She tightened her arms around his waist and her lekku wound around his arms for good measure. "That doesn't mean I'm done with you, though."

"Funny, I'm not done with you, either." Andronikos chuckled and nudged his forehead against hers. "You'd have to work hard to get rid of me."

He jumped when she zapped his ass with a small shock of Force lightning. "Not happening."

"Noted."


	15. Finale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ish is a member of the Dark Council, which means a whole new set of worries.

Ishteeli stood in her private garden and watched as the storm approached. Until recently, she hadn't seen the point in buying property. Now, though, as a member of the Dark Council, it was practically a necessity that she have a permanent home of some kind. She'd found an estate on the edge of Kaas City and took her time furnishing it to her tastes. She'd given the others the option of staying or going. Surprisingly, they all chose to stay. Well, the only surprise, really, was Ashara. Ishteeli had expected the Togruta to leave when given the chance. When Ashara indicated her wish to stay, she'd explained, _"There's nothing for me in the Republic now. They might not even welcome me back. I'd rather stay with you."_

Ishteeli tilted her head up as the storm finally reached the garden, enjoying the warm, gentle rain. On Hutta, any precipitation that fell was guaranteed to be toxic. It was best to stay inside. On Ziost, where Ishteeli had trained before going to Korriban, the rain was cold, so most people stayed inside rather than risk frostbite. Here, on Dromund Kaas, however, the rainstorms tended to be warm. When she'd realized a stormfront was on the way, she'd shed her usual robes in favor of a tank top and shorts and come outside to enjoy it. Without opening her eyes or turning, she called out, "I know you're there, Andy."

"Didn't think I _could_ fool you," Andronikos called back from just inside the doors that opened from the master suite into the garden. "Why are you out there in the rain?"

"Why not?" she countered, raising her arms to feel the warm water sluice down her skin. "Most of the time, we didn't get a chance to enjoy the weather on whatever planet we were on."

Andronikos gave a soft huff of laughter. "Most of the time, we were too busy trying not to get killed to enjoy it."

"Exactly." Finally, she turned to face him. "Why don't you come join me?"

He looked down at the shirt and pants he wore, and then back up at Ishteeli. "You're serious?"

"Absolutely." She nodded, smiling and holding her hands out to him. "It's not that bad, I promise."

Heaving a long-suffering sigh, Andronikos slowly stepped out into the gentle rain. He flinched at first, and then relaxed with a surprised look. "It's warm."

"Of course." Ishteeli smiled when he took her hands and let her pull him close. They shared a soft kiss, flavored by the rain. "It usually is here."

"I expected it to be cold." He slipped his arms around her waist, pushing the back of her tank top up so he could rest his hands directly on her back.

She leaned into his hold, pressing a kiss to the skin under his ear, making him shudder. "You want cold rain, go to Ziost."

"No thanks." He kissed her cheek. After a few moments spent trading kisses, he asked softly. "Somethin's been on your mind lately. You want to talk about it?"

Ishteeli sighed, pressing her face into his neck. _Of_ course _he noticed. He knows me very well by now._ "I've been thinking about legacies."

"Oh?" Andronikos gently rubbed her back, pushing her tank top up further with each stroke. "What sort of legacies?"

She reluctantly caught his arm, stopping him. As nice as it felt, it was distracting her. "I told you once that my sire owned my mother." Andronikos nodded. It wasn't something they discussed often. "As a slave, she was forced to have lots of children, to save him the cost of buying more. I knew that would be my fate."

"Not anymore," he told her gently.

Ishteeli nodded. "Not anymore. When I left Hutta for Ziost, I promised myself I would _never_ put myself in that position again."

"But?" Andronikos prodded gently, nudging his forehead against hers. "Has something changed?"

She bit her lip, feeling her lekku wind around his arms. "Yes. My ancestor pointed out that I'm the last of his line. In a sense, there's an obligation for me to change that."

"Ish, if you don't want to have children, then don't," Andronikos told her, his voice gentle and firm. "No matter what anyone says, it's up to _you_ whether you have kids or not. Don't let anyone else tell you different."

Ishteeli studied him for a long moment. "You won't be hurt if I decide not to have kids?"

"I admit, it'd be nice to have a rugrat or two runnin' around this place," he smiled crookedly. "My happiness doesn't depend on it, though. I'm perfectly happy with just you." He gave a sheepish laugh. "Besides, there might be a kid or two out there who can claim me as their sire and I just don't know it. I, uh, wasn't always careful about protection in the past."

She nodded, not terribly surprised. Andronikos had been around the galaxy more than she had. It was bound to happen. "Well, for now, I'm content with just you."

"If you ever change your mind, you let me know," Andronikos told her, tightening his arms around her.

Ishteeli smiled, pressing closer to him and giving a hum of pleasure when she realized that their proximity had affected him as well as her. "I certainly will." Very softly, she told him, "I love you."

"I love you, too," he whispered back, just before he kissed her.

She responded eagerly to the kiss. In some ways, she found it easier to show what she meant than say it.


End file.
